On Names, the Flu, and Other Things
by Shizumaru
Summary: Odd things happen when Uotani and Kyou get thrown out of class. Completed.
1. 1

On Names, the Flu, and Other Things  
  
A small FB fic from Oddzilla Productions that was only going to be a ficlet, but life is like that sometimes.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
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An archaic form of punishment, being sent to stand in the hall.  
  
"Stupid Yankee."  
  
"Stupid...Carrothead."  
  
Kyou glanced over, trying to hide his concern, but not really able to. She was slumped against the wall, trying to make it look like her usual tough-girl attitude, but he could tell she actually needed the support to stay standing at the moment.  
  
"What are you looking at?"  
  
"Nothing." Well, her spirits were still mostly the same, it seemed. He stared straight ahead, out the window into the courtyard.  
  
Silence reigned for a while. Except for her breathing, which sounded a little labored. It bothered him. Too damn loud.  
  
"Why don't you just go home and rest or something?" No, not "Stop breathing so loud" like he was going to say. Something must have happened to those words on the way from his brain to his mouth. He frowned.  
  
"It's just a touch of a cold. Oh, what, are you worried about me, Kyon-Kyon?" Uotani started to chuckle, but it turned into a cough.  
  
He flinched away overdramatically, trying to cover that slip. "No! I just don't want to catch it from you! Feh." Precisely the same thing he said earlier in the classroom. The thing that led to them being kicked out here. "And don't call me 'Kyon-Kyon'.  
  
"Damn, of all the days I didn't bring one of my breathing masks...." Her voice was getting more and more hoarse. She coughed again, into her fist. And then she sneezed. "Ugh."  
  
He stared at her, then rolled his eyes and dug into a pocket. "Here."  
  
She reflexively caught the pack of tissues and blinked her bleary eyes. "Hell, I guess you are worried about me."  
  
He was about to retort angrily, even as she blew her nose with a loud honking sound, when the tone of her voice struck him. It wasn't sarcastic or taunting, it just...was.  
  
"Thanks, Carrothead." She sniffed a little.  
  
And that was sincere too.  
  
"Maybe you should get sick more often. You're nicer like this," he said, without thinking. He did that a lot.  
  
She just looked over at him irritably. Then she glanced down at the tissues in her hand. "Huh. Maybe I should. You're being nicer too."  
  
He wasn't quite sure what to think of that.  
  
Silence returned. Kyou resumed staring out the window, though with his head just slightly turned so that he could see Uotani out of the corner of his eye. She had closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. The flush on her cheeks was not a healthy one, but nevertheless...it looked...well....  
  
It was at this point that he realized he was looking straight at her again, not just out of the corner of his eye. He quickly turned away before she would see him watching again, except--  
  
"He-hey! Dammit, stupid Yankee!"  
  
--she was slowly toppling over to the side, back sliding against the wall, eyes still closed, basically crumpling into a heap in slow motion. Hardly just a touch of a cold; this was serious. Instinct told him to catch her; sensibility restrained him from grabbing her torso so that the curse wouldn't be triggered. Instead, he took hold of her shoulders and lowered her gently to a sitting position. She didn't respond, just sat there, breathing heavily, head lolling a little.  
  
That done...what the hell now? He glanced around nervously. No one around. Teacher was still inside the classroom...should he interrupt for this? Or--no, it'd be pretty hard to carry her to the nurse's office without setting off the curse. She was a big girl, too. Well, not in a bad way. Tall. Muscled. Nicely...proportio....  
  
Kyou clamped down on that train of thought heavily, just as she moaned softly and looked up at him. And froze, because he was, at the moment, very close to her. Faces mere centimeters apart.  
  
He froze too.  
  
If her eyes weren't so bloodshot, they would be very pretty. Actually, they were pretty anyway. They'd be prettier. They were taking up his entire world right now, in fact, because he really didn't know what to do, and that included moving.  
  
The entire world. The whole, wide, horrible, beautiful, terrifying--  
  
And she sneezed again, ruining the moment. Though thankfully she'd managed to turn her head just enough....  
  
"Sensei!" he shouted in a voice he knew was too loud, both by the way it echoed through the halls and the way Uotani winced. "I'm taking her to the nurse!" He stood up, then added, for some reason, "Before she passes out again, because I don't want to have to drag her there!"  
  
Cacophany from within, most notably a very recognizable shriek of surprise and concern, followed by, "No, Honda-san, you're not getting out of class, you can visit her during your lunch break. And don't try that on me, Hanajima-san, it won't work."  
  
Yes, a reminder of just how fearsome Tanigata-sensei was. He wasn't cowed by the high school's own Maybe Good, Maybe Wicked Witch and Her Electric Wave. Even if Uo weren't ill, he wouldn't have had any trouble tossing out two of the most hardheaded students around.  
  
But Uotani was sick, and getting sicker. She was clambering weakly to her feet, struggling for a handhold on the wall to get back up. "Damn it, Carrothead, why'd you...why'd you have to make such a ruckus?"  
  
He seized her flailing arm roughly and helped to pull her up. "Because the sooner we get you to the nurse, the less likely you're going to die out here. Come on!" He relaxed his grip slightly once she was standing again.  
  
She scowled at him and retorted, "I'm fine!" and made an attempt to yank her arm free. Which almost succeeded, but stopped when his hand tightened around her fingers. "Let guh...go." Wobble.  
  
"You're not fine. Just shut up and let me help you. Tohru would kill... well, no, she wouldn't. But you know what I mean. If anything happened to you."  
  
Uotani struggled for a few more moments, trying to free herself from Kyou's hold, but finally gave up. "Yeah. You're right," she grunted. "Okay, okay. Just...let me catch my balance."  
  
He waited obligingly, noting how this was perhaps the first time she'd really admitted weakness this whole crazy morning. When she started moving, he did too, staying close by her side, ready to catch her again if she stumbled. They proceeded slowly, as if this were nothing more than a leisurely stroll through the halls.  
  
It wasn't until they'd descended one flight of stairs--carefully--that Kyou realized her fingers had twined through his. They were holding hands.  
  
It took quite a bit of willpower to keep walking and not fall flat on his face, but he managed it. He was, however, unsuccessful at controlling his blood vessels finely enough to prevent a mad blush from crossing his face. And it certainly didn't help that her hand, rough and callused as it was, felt rather warm in his own.  
  
Kyou did what many people did when confronted with an unexpected situation that they didn't want to draw attention to: he started talking.  
  
"Why does everyone call you Uo, anyway? And...Hana, 'Hana'? You call Tohru 'Tohru', but the two of you...."  
  
She peered at him closely, looking suspicious. "And why would you care?"  
  
"I...well, why wouldn't I? You're...you're Tohru's friend and all. And I was just curious. Geez, ask a simple question and...."  
  
"Huh. Curiosity killed the cat--"  
  
Kyou twitched.  
  
"--is what they say in the West or something. Well...you know I was in a gang, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"No self-respecting gangster girl is going to go by 'Arisa'. Especially not with the kanji my parents chose for the name."  
  
"Which characters?"  
  
She glanced at him dubiously. "...never mind."  
  
He opened his mouth, frowned, reconsidered, then grinned and said, "Okay...Arisa."  
  
Arisa made a sound of vague outrage, raised her free hand and moved to swing it at him, but stopped and settled for glaring at him. "You're lucky I'm not feeling too good," she muttered, underscoring her words with a few coughs. "Last person who called me that to my face...."  
  
"Let me guess, you beat that person up."  
  
"Actually...Tohru was the last person who called me by my given name. I just told her not to call me that."  
  
"...oh."  
  
They fell silent once again; they'd almost made it to the nurse's office anyway. Just as they reached the door, she started coughing again. Kyou took this opportunity to slip his hand out of hers and open the door. "Kuroda-sensei, you've got a patient," he called out, and then stood aside to let her walk in. The nurse looked up and frowned at the girl.  
  
"Thank you...Souma Kyou, isn't it? Uotani-san, over this way. Let's get you into bed and have your temperature taken." She bustled off to get one of the cots prepared.  
  
Kyou turned to walk back to class, but paused to look over his shoulder. "I'll tell Tohru you're okay. She'll be worried otherwise."  
  
"Yeah...thanks, Kyon-Kyon." Arisa's voice was soft, even gentle. He simply nodded. Before he could leave, she then added, "Oh. One thing."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You'd better wash your hand so you don't get sick either."  
  
Oh. Damn. She had noticed after all.  
  
Kyou felt the blush erupt all over again as he stalked off through the hallways back to class.  
  
End. Er. End chapter 1, it seems.  
  
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Kanji = Chinese characters used in Japanese, with specific meanings attached to them.  
  
The length of this is a complex issue. I'd intended to have given it some more closure by the end of this, but as it is, this could be a standalone piece, right where I end it, and there's a certain elegance in that. On the other hand, I did have a bit more planned out, and from reactions to my Yuki- Tohru fic, I imagine some people will urge me to go on with this. Should be one more part...maybe two.  
  
More notes in the following chapter(s). I sleep now.   
  
  



	2. 2

On Names, the Flu, and Other Things  
  
A small FB fic from Oddzilla Productions that was only going to be a ficlet, but life is like that sometimes.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Kyou ate lunch on the rooftop of the school, and did not join Tohru and Hana during the break to visit Arisa; he didn't feel like exposing himself to her germ-ridden presence more than he'd already done--getting sick was the last thing he wanted to do right now.  
  
It had nothing to do with the hand thing, definitely not. Or when they'd ended up face to face really close.  
  
Actually, he'd spent the lunch hour on the rooftop staring at the bentou that Tohru had so thoughtfully prepared for him without much appetite at all. Maybe he had gotten sick after all or something.  
  
After fighting off the impulse to hurl the bentou into a nearby trash can out of unnamed frustration, he packed it up carefully to eat at some later time, and marched back down to class. There was still a little time left, but he'd gotten his fill of fresh air and sunshine already. He only peripherally noticed the other people moving nervously out of his way as he walked along.  
  
"Kyou-kun!"  
  
As he opened the door to re-enter the classroom, he stopped and looked down the hall toward Tohru, Hana, and as luck would have it, Prince Rat Bastard as well.  
  
He was faced with a dilemma: to ask or not to ask? That was the ques--  
  
"How's she doing?" he heard himself say.  
  
Stupid mouth overruling the brain. He really needed to stop doing that. Now he'd look all worried about that Yankee.  
  
Tohru, bless her, just smiled. "Uo-chan's better now. She slept a little and had some hot soup. Kuroda-sensei said that it's the flu."  
  
"That's good. She going home?" That's good? Ahhh, damn.  
  
"No," Hanajima answered softly. "The nurse felt it best that Uo-chan stayed a little longer and rest up before trying to get home, preferably with friends to help her just in case. She was rather weak earlier--but you knew that already."  
  
They'd caught up to him and were now inside the classroom, dispersing to their seats. Most of the other students were still out, though a few were also filtering in presently.  
  
"Uo-chan wondered why you weren't there, though."  
  
That got him. "She...she did? Uh...why?"  
  
"Oh! Well--she didn't say, did she? She just asked where you were, and...."  
  
While Tohru was cheerily prattling along, Kyou felt himself turn red yet again. And he noticed the oppressive silence from Hanajima, the kind that only she could generate, even when there was noise from other sources present.  
  
And Yuki was smirking at him. Damn, how he wanted to wipe that smile off that face....  
  
"Maybe...I guess I'll go see her after school ends," Kyou finally said, being careful to add a clear level of grudging reluctance to his voice. Tohru beamed happily. Yuki smirked more. And Hana....  
  
Smiled.  
  
Ohgod.  
  
"I am sure she will appreciate that, Kyou-kun," Hana said softly. "She denied any gratitude for your assistance in getting her to the infirmary...."  
  
Against all expectation, Kyou felt disappointed as well as annoyed. And still fearful, of course; one doesn't receive a smile like that from Hana without some cause for concern. But he merely raised an eyebrow and snorted.  
  
"But I think she was lying."  
  
"Huh." Well, if it was the psychic saying this, then perhaps so. "I...uh...right." He crossed his arms and turned to look out the window, willing the heat in his face to go away. Which it did, after a little while.  
  
He swore if he heard Yuki laugh or snicker or even breathe funny, he'd punch him.  
  
The rest of the school day passed in a bit of a haze for Kyou; he paid less than his usual amount of attention to the remaining lessons, which was to say not very much at all. Instead, he thought about Tohru's bentou, and how to avoid Kagura, and how to beat up Yuki the next time they fought, and how to beat up Haru the next time they fought, and Arisa, and the need to get some more milk soon, and how that piece of chalk smacking into his forehead stung a little. The chalk happened at least three times in the course of that afternoon. It was a miracle he wasn't thrown out again.  
  
Eventually, it all drew to a close.  
  
"Kyou-kun, Hana-chan and I have classroom cleaning duties today. Could you go to Uo-chan first, please? We shouldn't be too long."  
  
He couldn't say no to her. "All right." And then he paused. "You're not coming, are you?"  
  
There was that smirk again. "I need to speak with some of the teachers about some of the class activities. You're on your own, Idiot Cat."  
  
"Damn Mouse."  
  
A short yet indeterminable time later, he knocked on the nurse's door, and was admitted.  
  
"Ah, Souma-san, please come in. She's resting right now, but I'll go wake her--"  
  
"No, don't, Kuroda-sensei. I'm here a little early. Gonna wait for Tohru and Hana to come."  
  
"Oh. Of course. Well...." The nurse glanced around. "Go ahead and wait in here, then. She's our only patient right now, so it's not a problem. There's a chair right there," she continued, indicating the one he stood next to in the office area of the infirmary, "or you can sit with her if you'd like. Just be careful not to do anything that might make you catch it."  
  
Kyou looked at the nearby chair. He'd take that one, yes.  
  
"I'll go sit with her."  
  
Stupid mouth!  
  
Kuroda-sensei nodded and gestured to the curtained area where the beds were. He squared his shoulders and walked there, peeking around the curtains to find the right bed.  
  
She looked so peaceful it made his breath catch, if only for a moment.  
  
With great care, he set his bag down and sat in the chair next to her, and observed: Her cheeks were still flushed, though not as much as before. Her hair was spilled across the pillow like a swath of gold paint. Her brow was unmarred by a scowl, her lips relaxed and not sneering. Her hands were folded over her stomach on top of the blanket, which left her shoulders and upper torso partially uncovered. That made him frown; it would be better if she were covered more completely. But moving her arms to pull the blanket up higher would probably wake her.  
  
And he wouldn't be able to see her chest rise and fall so nicely as she breathed.  
  
Kyou paused, carefully edited that thought out of existence, then settled back and looked at the clock, wondering how long it would take for Tohru and Hana to come. He knew it was going to be difficult waiting by himself here for Arisa, but this was harder than he had expected. He wanted to look at her, yet was starting to be afraid to do so.  
  
When she groaned, however, he had no choice. "Hey. You awake?"  
  
Her eyes fluttered open, and she squinted over at him. "Kyon-Kyon? Wha...." She yawned widely. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Just...waiting for you. Tohru and Hana are cleaning up the classroom right now. They'll be here soon."  
  
"Mmmm. And the Prince?"  
  
He couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in distaste. "Going over some stuff with the teachers. He'll probably be coming too."  
  
She pulled the covers up around her shoulders, wrapping them tightly around herself, and rolled onto her side, facing him directly. All traces of sleep seemed to have disappeared from her face already. "How thoughtful of you to come here early."  
  
He stared at her. Her voice...not soft and gentle, as it was when he left her here earlier, but not lacking in sincerity, either. It was strange.  
  
"Tohru...Tohru asked me to," he muttered.  
  
"Well, you could have said no."  
  
He looked away at the clock again. "Not really. Not when she asks."  
  
"And if I asked?"  
  
He kept staring at the clock, trying to keep himself calm. Her voice was teasing, but teasing the way she would tease Tohru, or Hana. Not in a mocking way, but.... His mind struggled for the word.  
  
"Yeah...I suppose I'd come. If. Um. You asked."  
  
Affectionate. Yes. In her rough, Yankee manner, it was affectionate.  
  
"So why didn't you come at lunchtime with the others?"  
  
He sighed, and turned to look at her, feeling a little tired for some reason. "I don't know. Just had things to think about." He shrugged, trying not to let his unease show.  
  
"Carrothead? Thinking?" Arisa laughed. Ah, that was more like her usual self. He bristled a little, but not that much. And then she wiggled an arm at him, in lieu of a wave as she still had the blanket clasped tightly around herself. "Well, you're here now. Thanks."  
  
Kyou looked at her suspiciously. Was it just his imagination, or had she dipped her head down a little when she said that? And let her hair fall in front of her face? She had thanked him, there was no doubt about that. He felt triumphant--and a little warm inside.  
  
Don't worry. Accept it. It's safe. It's all right.  
  
He relaxed. "Eh. No big deal. I didn't mind." A lie in part, as he did mind earlier. But not really anymore.  
  
She yawned again, then sat up in bed, keeping the blanket around her shoulders but sliding her legs out over the edge of the mattress. Her skirt had ridden up some, exposing her calves and a bit of her thigh, though not too much. "Better get up, or I'll fall asleep again."  
  
He looked up from her legs, hoping she hadn't noticed that. "How are you feeling now?"  
  
"A lot better. Guess you were right, maybe I should have stayed home today."  
  
He shrugged again. "Well, as long as you don't keel over...."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You hungry?" He remembered Tohru's bentou suddenly, now sitting in his bag.  
  
"No. Had some soup earlier. Besides, not much appetite with this flu. Did you wash your hands?"  
  
"...of course I did."  
  
She chuckled, then sighed. "I'll be glad to get home and sleep in my own bed, in my pajamas. This uniform's kinda uncomfortable." She threw off the blanket finally and smoothed her clothing out some, and this time, she didn't miss it. "And what are you looking at now?" she said, echoing her question from earlier that day.  
  
Oops. "Nothing."  
  
"Oh, am I still nothing?"  
  
Challenging, yet amused. Kyou's brain locked up for a few moments, unable to figure out how to respond. "Aaagh, forget it," he said, peevishly. Damn.  
  
And another laugh. "You're cute sometimes, you know that, Kyou?"  
  
It took every single ounce of training that he'd done over the years to maintain his balance and not fall off his seat. What she just said hadn't been much, wasn't really important, but for some reason, the feeling of peace from earlier had fled now, and he was trying to get a grip on himself.  
  
It must have been taking him quite a long while to do that, because he then heard her say, "Um...I'm sorry, if I...I didn't mean to...."  
  
He slowly looked up at her. She had turned away, but it seemed like she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye, apparently puzzled and maybe a tiny bit upset. He couldn't blame her--he should have just taken it in stride. Don't worry. Accept it. It's safe.  
  
"It's all right." She nodded, and visibly relaxed. "Just...caught me off guard there. Anyway. You're pretty sometimes too, so we're even."  
  
And she smiled.  
  
There was a knock on the door outside. "Sensei?"  
  
"That's Tohru," she said, jumping out of bed. And Kyou was at her side immediately, having predicted what was going to happen.  
  
"Dammit, Arisa, be more careful," he muttered, catching her by the arm. "Don't you ever learn?"  
  
"Urgh. Occasionally I do. Hand me my bag."  
  
"I'll carry it."  
  
"Uo-chan! How are you feeling now?"  
  
As Tohru and Hana piled in, Kyou stood back a little to give them some space, and hefted the backpack. Yuki was lurking just outside, no doubt. This was going to be a long walk to Arisa's apartment.  
  
But he would't mind it so much, he imagined. He'd let himself enjoy the view this time.  
  
End chapter 2.  
  
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I...suppose I'll have one more chapter. I think.  
  
I don't mind Kyou and Kagura, but I just feel that there's so much more potential chemistry between Kyou and Uotani. If you've read this far, I imagine you agree at least somewhat.  
  
'Scuse me while I beat ffnet into submission and accept this upload, smeg it all.  
  
  
  



	3. 3

On Names, the Flu, and Other Things  
  
A small FB fic from Oddzilla Productions that was only going to be a ficlet, but life is like that sometimes.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Kyou realized one thing: he hated that Yankee.  
  
He really hated her. He wanted to kill her. He'd go and find her, and strangle her, or beat her into a pulp, or something violent. He wouldn't usually hurt girls, but hell, she was barely a girl, more like a gorilla. He--  
  
He sneezed.  
  
"DAMN YOU, ARISA! You gave me your flu! Nnnnnrgh."  
  
Kyou flopped back down on his bed heavily. He'd started feeling strange the day after walking her to the nurse and then home along with everyone else, and now, here he was. A wreck. Bedridden for two days, on orders from Hatori--not that he'd have the energy to defy the family doctor anyway. Maybe three days if he didn't get better by tomorrow.  
  
And he'd had to put up with Shigure the whole time. It was enough to make him wish for death--his own and Arisa's.  
  
At least, when she was home, Tohru was wonderful. Making sure he was comfortable, changing the moist cloths regularly, and keeping the crazy dog away as well. And while his appetite was mostly dead, her hot nourishing soups were absolutely great. Though he did have to draw the line at leeks, no matter how good they supposedly were for sick people.  
  
Too bad she was only there for a couple hours out of the day, between school and her part-time job.  
  
It was also getting a little bit boring. Spending several hours straight cooped up in his room with no one around--Shigure didn't count, and fortunately was being chased around by his editor today--was really starting to get to him. He was actually starting to miss school and the people he'd be around while there. Tohru, of course. Yuki...well, maybe not. Hana...hm. Scary, but occasionally made for good company and a card game. Momiji and Haru--they were tolerable, as long as Momiji wasn't acting stupid and Haru did not turn to the Dark Side.  
  
And. Er. Well. Arisa, too, when it came down to that. Except that he wanted to murder her at the moment of course. He'd reach out for her neck, her long, slender neck, with its smooth skin, leading up to the surprisingly delicate line of her jaw, one that you could easily trace your finger along to the point of her chin, set just below her mouth, her full pink lips that could be so very harsh or so very gentle depending on what she wanted to be, and above that her nose, a well-shaped nose, not that he paid much attention to noses anyway especially when just above her nose were her deep blue eyes that alternately burned like ice or enveloped you like a pool of deep ocean water...all in all, a face that was--  
  
NO! It was the fever talking again, the fever making him delirious! Her neck, that was his focus, her long, slender neck, with its smooth skin, leading down to her toned shoulders, evidence of her quietly impressive strength, a part of her well-built frame, of course she wasn't a girl, she was a young woman, her very well-built frame indeed, just the right shape and....  
  
Kyou whimpered, pulling the sheets over his face. He was going mad. That was it. He couldn't stand her before, and she drove him out of his mind, and now...well, she was still driving him out of his mind, only she didn't have to be in his presence to do that.  
  
Then came the sound of salvation: the front door opening and muted voices from downstairs. Tohru, Angel of the Soumas, was back from school. Yuki probably was as well, but you learned to take the good with the bad. He'd now be distracted from strange and unusual thoughts by her comforting, peaceful presence.  
  
Sure enough, there were footsteps coming up the stairs, and now approaching his room. Kyou smiled and sat up slightly. The door opened, and...the smile disappeared.  
  
"What do you want, Mouse?"  
  
Infuriating, that look on his face. Smugness asking for a punch; Kyou added to his mental tally of how many nosebreakers he owed Yuki, currently running in the high hundreds. "Just wanted to tell you that Tohru's pulling an early shift today, so she won't be home until much later."  
  
Kyou's heart sank. The thing that had given him hope through misery--vanished, snuffed like a flame. At least until tonight. But he didn't know if he'd last that long.  
  
"But you've got a visitor in the meantime."  
  
...eh?  
  
"You look awful, Carrothead. Are you sure you washed your hands properly?"  
  
......eh?  
  
Arisa strode past Yuki into the room, her long legs carrying her quickly within. She took a quick, appraising look at the contents, and appeared... disappointed? "You know, your place is pretty bare. Wouldn't be able to tell that anyone actually lived here. Well? Aren't you going to welcome me? At least offer a greeting or something."  
  
"What the hell are you doorrgh--"  
  
She stood back and waited for his coughing fit to pass.  
  
"Damn, you are pretty sick. Man, I'm sorry."  
  
He glared up at her. "All your fault," he rasped. Though he was slightly surprised at just how concerned she looked at the moment.  
  
But then she laughed. "I guess you aren't that badly off, though, if you can still say stuff like that." She glanced around again, grabbed a nearby chair, and plopped down on it at his bedside.  
  
"How the hell are you already recovered like that? You were half-dead a couple of days ago."  
  
She shrugged, a rather interesting motion. "I dunno. I've always gotten over illnesses pretty quickly, even if they hit me hard at first. Guess I'm lucky that way. Though I still have a little bit of the cough." She cleared her throat, as if to demonstrate. "But otherwise...."  
  
Kyou sank further into his bed. "I hate you."  
  
Arisa raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, I already said I'm sorry for giving you my flu. Sorry for recovering so quickly? That better?" He just grumbled, and she chuckled again. "Anyway, Tohru told me how you were doing, so I decided to drop by and see how you were. And I don't have to worry about getting sick from you, since I already got over this virus." She sat back and grinned.  
  
He struggled internally for a short while. Then, with great reluctance, he managed, "...thanks."  
  
She tsked. "Such little gratitude. And I'd brought you some medicines, too." Said items were pulled out from her bag and placed on his nightstand. "Some things my doctor recommended. He knows his stuff, too. Worked pretty well for me."  
  
Kyou looked at the powder packets and pill bottles a bit dubiously. Then, he said again, "...thanks."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "What is it with you? Tohru told me you needed some company, that you were getting bored. So here I am. Or should I go?"  
  
"No! No. Um...stay. Please." He sighed, sat up, and tried to clear his head, such as it was. "Sorry. I...I do appreciate you coming. It helps."  
  
Now she smiled, the same smile he'd seen only a few times before. "All right, that's better. So! Wanna play some cards?" She flourished a deck.  
  
He blinked. "Um...what should we play?"  
  
She pursed her lips, another interesting thing, and considered. "Can't play Dai Hin Min with just the two of us...we can get the Prince and Writer-boy in here to...okay, that look tells me you don't want them around. Well...you know poker? No? Blackjack? Erm...need more people for Hearts and Spades too..."  
  
As she spoke, Kyou watched her with fascination. She was doing some tricks with the cards--not the "pick a card, any card" type, but getting them to, well, dance. Her hands moved fluidly, flipping them back and forth through the air, making them fly. She was pretty adept at manipulating the cards, and without even paying attention.  
  
"...they that intriguing?" The cards suddenly stopped.  
  
"Huh?" He looked up.  
  
She eyed him closely. "I said, are they that intriguing?"  
  
"Um, uh--"  
  
He was cut off by a card bouncing off his nose.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
She flicked another card out with deadly accuracy, as if it were a throwing star, and caromed it off his nose again.  
  
"Stop--that--"  
  
She didn't, of course, and so he rose to the challenge, grabbing the cards that were now lying on his blanket and sending them back at her. His first throws weren't too good, missing her completely, but he was a fast learner. Soon, a full-scale war was in progress, with the two of them laughing and dodging as best they could while still seated.  
  
Until Kyou's laughing turned into coughing, as might be expected. The card-throwing subsided while he hacked up half a lung and then wheezed for breath. When it ended, he slumped back down on his pillow. "Urgh."  
  
Arisa sighed and reached for one of the packets she'd laid out on the nightstand. "Here, let me get you something hot to drink. This should take the edge off the cough." She stood, then looked at the bowl of water and moist hand towels next to it. "And I'll change this water while I'm at it." With that, she vanished out the door along with those items.  
  
He listened carefully to her footsteps going back down the stairs, off toward the kitchen. This...was nice. Very nice. She wasn't as gentle as Tohru, but she was helping, and she really seemed to care. And that was the important part, in the end.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the lights in his room suddenly going on. He blinked and squinted a little bit at Arisa, who was balancing a steaming mug and the bowl of water and towels carefully.  
  
"Hadn't realized it was getting that dark."  
  
"You haven't been here that long...."  
  
"No, but it's looking like a storm outside. Hope it's not too bad; I didn't bring an umbrella. Here you go."  
  
"Could borrow one from us." He accepted the mug from her and sniffed cautiously at the steam rising from it. A bit lemony. He sipped and grimaced.  
  
"Yeah, it doesn't taste that great, but you get used to it." She now put the bowl back down where it had been and dropped a towel into it. "Tohru's been taking care of you this whole time?"  
  
He sipped some more of the medicine and grunted. "When she's been around, yeah." He paused, and frowned. "How'd you get by when you were sick? You live alone, don't you?"  
  
"Hana came over after school to help out a little bit." She looked at him strangely for a moment, then shrugged. "I managed. Slept most of the time anyway." She chuckled. "I remember the last time I got sick, and Tohru was the one who came by to take care of me. You're a lucky guy to be under her care now."  
  
Kyou stared at the mug in his hands. After a few moments of silence, he nodded and said, "Yeah. The...the three of us, we're really lucky to have her with us now. Shigure and Yuki, they...well, I didn't come to live here until about the same time that Tohru did, so.... But I guess they must have had it a lot harder before she arrived."  
  
"That Tohru, she's really something."  
  
"Thank you, Arisa."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
He frowned, wondering why he said that. But in truth, he did know why. "For taking care of Tohru before we ever met her. Especially when her mother died. I mean...I can't blame you for not taking her in, it was her choice to hide that from you and go live in a tent near this house. And if she didn't do that, well--" Kyou shook his head. Tohru not being in their lives now was something he didn't want to contemplate. "You and Hana protected her before, the way that...that we try to protect her now. Maybe she'd be the same person she is now if she'd never met you. But I know she did meet you, and I know she's a wonderful person, so I guess...." His thoughts ran out, and he struggled. "You know. Well. Thanks." He drank what remained in the mug to try to hide his sudden discomfort at saying so much, perhaps too much.  
  
Then he realized that she hadn't said anything. No response. He glanced over nervously.  
  
She was staring at him blankly, hands resting on her lap. Her mouth was opened slightly, as if arrested in mid-word, or probably more accurately, pre-word. Great. He had said too much after all, hadn't he? His fingers clenched around the mug, but he was now also at a loss for words himself. Or action.  
  
Then she stood up suddenly, and he jerked his head to look at her.  
  
"A...Arisa?"  
  
She took a step forward from the chair, bringing herself right up to his side. He felt paralyzed, pinned down by her gaze. There was a slight wrinkle on her brow, as if she were slightly perplexed. Then she reached out and brushed his hair away from his face, making his eyes go wide, and bent over and placed her lips against his forehead.  
  
Now he truly knew paralysis, as time seemed to stop.  
  
When she finally withdrew, Kyou found his voice after several attempts. "What...why...what was that for?" He sounded hoarse, which annoyed him.  
  
She smiled at him faintly, touched her lips, touched her own forehead. "Well, I could say I was checking your temperature. The lips are a more sensitive part of the body, after all. You're still running a temperature, I do believe."  
  
He gaped at her, and she laughed, even as she reached over and wrung out the towel in the bowl, then folded it.  
  
"Or maybe it was for another reason. Here, lie down."  
  
He did as ordered, and she leaned forward to place the moist towel on his forehead, right where she'd--well, where she'd kissed him. "So...I guess it was the fever talking just now?"  
  
"No, I don't think you're that feverish, Kyon-Kyon," she answered. "I think you really are that sweet sometimes."  
  
You're cute sometimes.... "That's--that's...the other reason?"  
  
"It just might be." Those blue eyes sparkled as she grinned.  
  
"Oh." He felt stunned. And really tired.  
  
"Rest," she said, gently; apparently it showed. "I'll stay here with you a while; don't have anything else to do today. You get better soon, okay? Tohru said you seemed bored here, but it's a little boring for us at school with you not there."  
  
"All right," he murmured. "And...."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You don't seem to care when I call you 'Arisa' now."  
  
"No. I guess I don't. You don't seem to protest 'Kyon-Kyon' much anymore, either."  
  
"Drop dead, Yankee."  
  
"Yes, yes, of course."  
  
He smiled, and slowly drifted off to sleep, to the sound of rain hammering on the roof. And his dreams, while still interesting, were rather innocent.  
  
Mostly, anyway.  
  
End chapter 3.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Erm. I still am not quite done, I think. There'll be a short epilogue. Or so I think. When I finish the next part, that's when I'll know for sure, eheh.  
  
Yes, I know I'm taking things slow. I'm vaguely frustrated myself, but I've always been a believer in love not being an easy, fast thing; if you've read my other fics, that much is rather obvious. While things can move fast believably (one of my favorite Uo-Kyou stories moves much more quickly indeed; check out Firsts, in my Favorite Stories section), I prefer to take my time and develop them gradually.

  



	4. 4

On Names, the Flu, and Other Things  
  
A small FB fic from Oddzilla Productions that was only going to be a ficlet, but life is like that sometimes.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
There are few things more glorious than being healthy after you've been deathly ill.  
  
Kyou hadn't been deathly ill, but he decided that horribly sick was close enough to it. As it was, he had a newfound appreciation for sun and breeze and green, green grass beneath a pale blue cloudless sky. It was almost enough to make him poetic, but not quite.  
  
Instead of the school rooftop, he had chosen the hill behind the athletic field for lunch. He wasn't sure why he'd decided to do this, but then, he was often doing certain things for no particular reason. Usually this was bad, but sometimes, it was good.  
  
Like right now. As he enjoyed the warmth of a fine spring day, having finally returned to school after a short absence as well as a weekend. Five days out of school was kind of nice, actually, even with all the catching up he had to do now.  
  
Presently, a shadow fell over him.  
  
"You're blocking my sun."  
  
"I know. But I wanted to get your attention."  
  
Arisa moved out of the way and sat down next to him, stretching out her long legs. "This is a good spot," she commented, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.  
  
"That's why I'm here." He now lay back, folding his hands beneath his head as a makeshift pillow, glancing at her briefly. This was one of the times she was very pretty, with the light wind stirring her golden hair around her face.  
  
His pulse quickened, but he forced it to calm. Not now. No nervousness here. Enjoy it.  
  
Enjoy being with her.  
  
He liked this new understanding he had with Arisa. They'd taken care of each other when the other was weak. Only briefly, really, but they did, and a thing like that usually means something to the people involved.  
  
"So why'd you have to come and bother me, stupid Yankee?"  
  
"Because I felt bored, stupid Carrothead."  
  
Some things were best left unchanged, though.  
  
"Where are Tohru and Hana?"  
  
"Hana's getting some tutoring from a sempai. Tohru's with the Prince."  
  
Kyou snorted. That bastard was always monopolizing Tohru lately. Though he didn't feel so envious about that today, for some reason.  
  
"Close your eyes and open your mouth."  
  
He stared at her. "Huh?"  
  
She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't worry, I'm not going to stick a clod of dirt in your mouth. I'm not a grade schooler."  
  
"But you still want me to do something like close my eyes and open my mouth."  
  
There was a brief silence.  
  
"...all right, I'll do it." And he did, wondering what she was going to give him.  
  
It was sweet. Juicy. Many little pips that broke easily as he chewed.  
  
"Tohru and Yuki gave me a bunch of 'em. Good, aren't they?"  
  
Kyou opened his eyes, nodded, and swallowed. "Yeah. I wonder where they got them."  
  
She shrugged. "I don't question free strawberries." She popped a deep red fruit in her mouth, withdrew another, and held it toward Kyou. He took it, regarded it thoughtfully, then tossed it up into the air, catching it in his mouth. She chuckled and set the plastic bowl down between the two of them.  
  
"Already ate lunch?" Kyou thought about the yet-unopened bentou at his side.  
  
"Not that hungry. These'll tide me over." She ate another strawberry.  
  
"Guess I can save this for later too." And he ate one as well.  
  
There was contemplative, companionable silence for a while.  
  
"Stop hogging them all."  
  
But it shouldn't have been expected to last.  
  
"Hey, Tohru gave them to me."  
  
"You offered."  
  
"Then give me half your bentou later."  
  
"Tohru gave that to me."  
  
They glared at each other.  
  
They reached for the bowl at the same time.  
  
Their hands collided over the last remaining strawberry. And it was a large one.  
  
Kyou enjoyed that brief moment of contact, even if their fingers were a little wet with juice. But that wasn't the point, presently. He eyed her warily, and she returned the look.  
  
"One left," Arisa said flatly.  
  
"Just one."  
  
And the tension suddenly disappeared. "Well, we can split it. This one's huge."  
  
He nodded, then frowned. "But how? You got a plastic knife or something on you?"  
  
"No."  
  
There was a loud click, and his eyes widened.  
  
"What? Don't look so surprised. Former gangster, scary Yankee, a big switchblade should be part of the image."  
  
"Uh...."  
  
"Oh, stop that. And no, I haven't actually ever used a knife on anyone. Well, yet."  
  
Kyou bit back his initial response and just shook his head. "Damn. You're tough enough not to need something like that, I thought."  
  
Arisa shrugged, and held one of the halves out toward him, which he took. He ate the whole thing at once; she regarded hers thoughtfully and took a bite, while absently wiping the blade on her skirt. "Well, my usual weapon was a piece of pipe, actually. But yeah, half the time I didn't even use that." Then she ate the remainder of the strawberry. It was interesting, watching a bit of juice trickle down from the corner of her lip, which she quickly licked up with a flick of her tongue.  
  
His pulse sped up again. And again, he forced it to calm. It was just a bit harder this time, though.  
  
Then he smiled. "Hey, can I see that knife?"  
  
She blinked, then tossed the closed blade over to him. He studied it, gingerly pressed the switch, and started slightly as it unfolded. She sniggered, but he didn't mind. After all....  
  
He got up, looked around, and walked to a nearby tree. He started scratching something into it, careful not to damage the knife. He heard her footsteps coming up behind him, and moved carefully to block her view  
  
"What are you...."  
  
"You'll see."  
  
He continued for a while, then stepped aside, closing the blade. There was an instant of silence, and then he heard her suck in her breath. "Why you--how'd you--"  
  
Kyou laughed and danced away, careful to keep the knife out of her reach. "I asked Tohru yesterday."  
  
"You bastard! The hell?! Dammit, that's why I didn't want to be called Arisa!" She lunged for him, but he easily dodged her.  
  
"Well, the first character, that's common enough. The 'A' of 'Asia'. The second and third though, I dunno. Jasmine and gossamer for 'ri' and 'sa'? I don't know if they fit you...."  
  
"No, they don't! That's why I don't want anyone to know--argh! Give me back that knife so you can be my first stab victim!"  
  
He kept on laughing and dodging and-- "Wow, that's a pretty good punch!" And also blocking a couple of blows.  
  
And suddenly, she stopped. It took him a couple of moments to realize this, and his laughter died as he saw her standing rather still, head bowed, hair covering her face.  
  
Uh oh.  
  
"Um...Arisa?"  
  
She didn't say anything. There was, however, something that sounded like a sniff.  
  
Very, very uh oh.  
  
He approached her slowly. "Did I...um...damn...." He came closer, but she still didn't move. He held the knife toward her. "...here you...go?"  
  
One of her hands reached up to her face, and made a swiping motion behind the curtain of her hair.  
  
Kyou suddenly felt extremely small. "Aw...Arisa, I'm sor--"  
  
There was a blur, and the knife disappeared from his hand. There was also a hard poke in his stomach, making him grunt in surprise and mild pain.  
  
And Arisa was grinning at him, tossing the switchblade up and down. "What, you really thought I'd start crying over something like that? I thought you'd know me better than that, Carrothead."  
  
He stared at her mindlessly for a while, then groaned. "Yeah, yeah. Feh. You had me worried for a while just now."  
  
She snorted. "You're getting soft," she commented, wandering back toward the tree.  
  
He followed, not too closely behind. "Huh. Maybe I am." Despite himself, he smiled a little bit.  
  
She flicked out the blade, looked at her name thoughtfully, then shrugged and started carving below it. She did not try to hide it from him as she worked, and he soon saw that she was now scratching the character of his name in the bark.  
  
He frowned. Wait a minute.  
  
"No, you missed a stroke. Yeah, right there. That's better."  
  
He nodded, now satisfied. Though something else was niggling at the back of his mind.  
  
Arisa took a step back, looking at their handiwork, and smiled, pleased. "Well, then."  
  
He only barely dodged the arm that she almost slung around his shoulders.  
  
"Don't--I mean...." Hell. This was going to be difficult.  
  
"What? We aren't sick anymore. I was just...."  
  
He took a deep breath. "It's...complicated. I can't say why. But...you can't...you can't do that."  
  
"Huh?" She looked completely confused.  
  
"Please...don't ask why. I can't tell you. I...sorry, but please. Just trust me. You...can't hug me."  
  
The expression on her face grew darker, and he really didn't like that. "Don't get me wrong, I mean, uh, I think I'd like it if you did, but it just doesn't...uh...."  
  
The expression on her face had just changed again. "What'd you say?"  
  
"...what did I say?" He paused, ran the words over in his head.  
  
His pulse started racing again. And he might not be able to stop it this time.  
  
She laughed, that rich, full laugh of hers. "I think I heard you." She subsided into chuckling, and walked around him, as if studying him closely. He fidgeted, unsure of how things were supposed to go at this point.  
  
"Okay. I won't ask. But...." And she stepped up to his side, took one of his hands.  
  
Heart rate still increasing. He swallowed nervously. She was standing really near, though keeping her arms clear of his torso.  
  
"Can I do this?" she murmured, lifting her other hand up to touch his face, and tilted her head, moving even closer.  
  
He went completely rigid. Okay, now he knew what was happening. She was going to....  
  
Pinch his nose shut.  
  
"GNF!" He flailed wildly, jerked his head back. He stumbled and almost fell, but for the grip she had on his hand, allowing him to maintain his balance.  
  
There was that laugh again. "Dammit, why'd you--"  
  
"You were getting all uptight and stiff as a board. Now shut up."  
  
He did, because it was hard to talk through her lips.  
  
It was a fine spring day, a clear blue sky with the sun shining down on green, green grass, and none of that mattered to Kyou at all because this time his entire world had been reduced to--  
  
Especially when she...oh....  
  
Tasted like strawberries, yes.  
  
After a while, he said, "Uh...yeah...you can do that...."  
  
"Want...want me to do that again?"  
  
"...okay?"  
  
There was another long silence.  
  
"Let me guess, your first kiss?"  
  
"Mmmyeah."  
  
"You're not bad for a beginner." Arisa looked a little flushed too.  
  
He smiled, a little shakily.  
  
It was really a pity that the bell rang then, announcing the end of lunchtime. They let out simultaneous curses and rushed to gather up their items: Kyou and his bentou, Arisa and the plastic bowl. As they started to move back toward the school, Kyou glanced at the tree with their names on it. He frowned once more.  
  
"Hey, wait a minute."  
  
"What is it? We gotta hurry!"  
  
"You wrote my name beneath yours! What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"...oh, gods, no, not your damn male ego right now. Come on, we're going to be late!"  
  
She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. He managed to match her speed easily, and--  
  
"Wait a minute--WE'VE GOT OUR NAMES CARVED ONTO A TREE TOGETHER!"  
  
"Wow, you're observant, Kyon-Kyon. Care to tell me what happens if we get to class after the bell rings again?"  
  
They ran.  
  
End.  
  
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Okay. Er. Now I'm done.  
  
Why yes, that was a reference to another fic of mine....  
  
Tsk, I got Kyou and Arisa to kiss before Yuki and Tohru. Shame on me. Well, I'll get back to them eventually. And these are indeed in the same overall continuity, if you were wondering.  
  
This chapter actually was derived from another concept I had for a fic featuring these two. Was going to be rather angstier, set after they'd started...well, after they'd reached the understanding. Was going to do with Kyou realizing that he'd have to face Kagura, and Uo-chan talking the whole thing over with him. If/when I continue this saga, he is going to have to deal with Kagura, indeed. Will have to be more serious.  
  
As for Arisa's name in the canon, I believe it is only written in hiragana and may not have any kanji for it at all, a trend that's appeared in recent years. So I just made it up.

And that does it for this fic. I'm pretty sure there'll be more someday.  


  
  



End file.
